Kidnapping is a Royal Pain
by theflawintheplan
Summary: The infamous "Fox Demon" owes the Akatsuki a large debt. Luckily, he knows how to make a quick buck: kidnap a young Uchiha prince. The plan is a piece of cake until he realises someone wants Sasuke dead and they consider Naruto to be in the way. NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

A bird called in the distance as the forest settled down to rest. Trees shook their mighty boughs in the evening breeze, hoping to achieve one last thing before succumbing to the night.

Suddenly a dark blur raced through the forest, invisible to the untrained eye. Stopping just at the edge, the shadowy figure peeked out of the surrounding foliage into the brightly moonlit field that stretched toward the villages that belonged to the Uchiha kingdom. The figure looked up at the full moon and watched a large cloud slowly drifting toward the shining sphere. When the edge of the cloud created enough darkness for cover, the shadow burst from the trees and sprinted for the nearest, and therefore poorest, of all the villages. Upon reaching his first destination, it was short work for him to find the house he was looking for. He knocked on the door and did not wait for an answer before opening the plank of wood and slipping through.

A young blond sat on a stool in the only room of the house. He had innocent-looking blue eyes that deceived anyone who trusted them, for they had seen more than others could hope to conceive. He also had the tan skin of someone who spent too much time in the sun, yet his hands did not bear the callouses of one used to the hard labour of a surf. He glanced up briefly at the unannounced visitor before unconcernedly turning back to the precious trinket in his hands. His face, lit by a fire in the fireplace, showed a slow smile and the visitor cleared his throat before addressing the blond man.

"Hello, Naruto."

"Hello, Kyuubi," Naruto greeted casually. "It's a nice night for travel, yes?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here."

Naruto squinted up at Kyuubi with mock confusion showing in his eyes. "And why are you here, Kyuubi?"

"Well, the Akatsuki helped you out of a tight situation a while back. Now they want compensation."

The blond turned back to his necklace and nodded, never losing his calm expression. "I see. And how much are they paying you to tell me this?" Kyuubi grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"I'm not inclined to say. But it's not nearly enough to put up with your mouth."

The blond offered a grin of his own, one that caused the older man's smile to falter as a chill ran through his spinal cord. The light that shone in this kid's eyes…it was not human.

"I assure you Kyuubi, I'll have their money soon."

"How soon? They're getting pretty anxious because you only have-"

"Two weeks is plenty of time to come up with the money I owe and then some. In fact, you can tell the Akatsuki that I have a plan that will get the debt paid off _earlier_ than planned."

"I'm not a messenger boy." The redhead growled. His brown eyes shone so brightly in the moonlight they appeared to be crimson. Nevertheless, the boy remained calm and Kyuubi's curiosity got the better of him.

"What are you planning?"

Naruto's calm demeanour was ripped away and he sneered at the other male. "I doubt that's any of your business, Kyuubi."

The addressed snarled and started for the door. "Remember Naruto, the Akatsuki are not kind. They won't tolerate this debt much longer." The moonlight came flooding through the doorway as Kyuubi disappeared once more into the night.

Naruto sighed and stood, stretching his limbs before crossing the deceivingly humble room to his door. Glancing out for only a split second, he gazed up at the Uchiha castle with a malicious gin unconsciously spreading across his face. He only needed to wait until cover….

A few moments later, the house was empty and a cloud drifted lazily over the yellow moon.

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

The maid wandered through the castle, trying to find her prince, Uchiha Sasuke. Eventually she collapsed onto the floor, wheezing and wondering how he could have disappeared into thin air. If she did not find him soon, she would be severely punished by the boy's parents.

A soft scuffling sound in the wall behind the servant alerted to something-or _someone_ else's presence. The only thing she could defend herself was a mere feather duster, but it would have to do. Turning slowly, she kept the makeshift weapon poised like a baseball bat with the feathers pointing toward her. She burst through the closet door that was embedded into the wall, the sudden blast of air sending her pink hair into her eyes. The brandished duster was held over a small figure she recognised. Condescending black eyes stared back at her and she blew the fringe out of her face.

"Sasuke-dono, why are you hiding in the closet?" She asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"I was trying to hide from _you_." Sasuke grouched.

"Oh, Sasuke-dono," she let out a twitter that sounded a lot like a bird's chirp. "You always make me laugh!" Before Sasuke could snort in reply, what seemed to be his mirror image appeared in the doorway.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

The raven blinked up at the deep voice from his crouched position on the closet floor. "Itachi?" He questioned innocently. Itachi did not fall for it.

"Come on Sasuke, everyone has been worried sick about you."

"Even you, Itachi-niisan?"

A moment of hesitation. "Let's go. Sakura-san, tell my parents Sasuke has been found."

As they made their way to wherever Itachi said their parents would not be (he had to talk his brother alone), Sasuke looked up at his brother the entire way. The former was already fourteen, but his body looked more like a child who had only just reached the age of ten-at least in height and weight. He also had pinker and poutier lips than was average for his gender and the shine in his black eyes and hair made him look more like a girl than a boy. In fact, more than once he had been mistaken for a female by strangers, one small example being when Itachi's betrothed, Hoshigaki Kisame (Sasuke was surprised his brother accepted the _Blue. Male._) smiled at the youngest Uchiha and said Itachi had not told him he had a little sister.

Kisame was still trying to gain Sasuke's favour.

As much as the two brothers looked alike, Sasuke admitted that Itachi most resembled a man. He was tall and had a slender build, yet his body was muscular enough to be classified at first glance as decidedly male. His long hair, always tied back in a low ponytail to the small of his back, was well-kept yet did not "sparkle" like others said Sasuke's did. His lips created a thin and stern line, but they still were not feminine, and so Sasuke envied them. In short, Itachi looked like his gender more than his little brother and while he found this endearing, Sasuke found it flat out annoying. Itachi glanced down at the scowling boy and decided to ignore the topic he knew scorched his otouto's self-esteem at the moment.

"Sasuke, I would appreciate if you treated Sakura-san a little better." He sighed as Sasuke's scowl deepened. "I'm not asking you two to become the best of friends, I'm merely asking you to please treat her nicely. She tries her best. Besides, some day you'll grow to appreciate her."

Sasuke sniffed haughtily, but they both knew he would listen to his aniki. "…Alright, I'll try, Itachi."

They reached Sasuke's room and the younger brother was a bit surprised when his brother did not leave immediately like he usually did. At least, until he remembered the eldest brother had wanted to speak to him. But was it not time for both to go to sleep? The unspoken question was answered when Itachi sat down on the bed, patting the place next to him in a gesture for Sasuke to sit there. "Sasuke, you were not supposed to know this until a much later date, but I believe you deserve to know now."

Sasuke blinked with fret. What secret would everyone, with the exception of his loving aniki, possibly want to keep from him? He was not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Itachi took a deep breath that worried his otouto even more. "I am not going to take over the throne for Father. I will be-"

"What? Itachi you're the eldest! You should the first in line to-"

"Calm down, Sasuke," Itachi was smiling and Sasuke did not think there was anything humourous about their conversation. "Father and Mother are not very happy about it either, but after much discussion between them, Kisame, and myself, and we have reached the conclusion that I shall be helping Kisame rule his kingdom." His serious expression was finally back in place.

"But I always assumed you would join the two kingdoms together and you would stay here with me." Itachi smiled again at his brother's adorable pout-he looked so much like a little sister. "Sasuke, both kingdoms are quite large. It would be very inefficient to rule both at the same time. No, you will find a decent someone to wed soon and will you do, it will be you who rules over the Uchiha kingdom." The smile grew into a grin at Sasuke's expression.

"This is not the end of the world, Sasuke. We will still see each other often. Nothing, not even Kisame and his large kingdom, will be able to keep you away from me. We share a much stronger bond than that. This is but our next great adventure together."

Sasuke's pout faded a little, but it was still there. Itachi was always able to comfort him and make him feel as though the entire world could not tear the brothers apart, but today the younger boy was not so sure. After all, his aniki would be so far away…. What if Sasuke needed him?

"I still don't like this idea. I refuse to accept it."

Itachi sighed and Sasuke did not like the sound. "Sasuke, one day that tongue of yours will get you into trouble and no one will be there to save you when it does." The older boy gave Sasuke a brief goodnight hug that his otouto did not return. Unfazed, Itachi lightly laughed and poked Sasuke's forehead with two fingers in retaliation.

"Ow! Itachi, that hurt!" Sasuke's shout was heard only by the door as his brother took off for his own bed chamber. Sasuke stripped quickly and dressed in his silken pajamas, readying himself for sleep. He was still fuming about the conversation that had recently ended by the time he settled down into his bed.

A shadow passed over the moon.

'_When would no one be there for me?' _Sasuke thought bitterly as Itachi's words continued to chant in his brain. _'I'm constantly surrounded by those who would readily do anything, even sacrifice their own lives, for my safety.'_ The shadow stretched further into Sasuke's room, over his bed, but the Uchiha heir did not notice.

When the moon reappeared, it shone down on an empty bed.

A/N: This, along with _New World, New Things_, is part of a "contest" where the story with the most reviews will be the one that is finished first. So if you want this one finished, please review. (You can even drop situations you think Naruto and Sasuke will get into together in there as well!)

Bye!

~theflawintheplan


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rose silently over the Uchiha kingdom, throwing its mocking light across a usually prideful castle which was currently tossed into distress.

"Where is he? Have you found him yet?" Various servants shouted this to one another as they scurried throughout the lands surrounding their master's castle. Who had they "lost," you might ask? Well reader, as you'll recall the young prince Sasuke went missing the night before. The servants' questions went unanswered but not unheard as Sasuke's older brother swept uncharacteristically worried glances over as much of Oto as he could see clearly. Perhaps Sasuke was only sulking in the nearby forest, getting over his childish anger and ready at any moment to return to his loving Itachi-niisan….

A rustle in the woods caught his eye, but upon further inspection, a mere fox darted in between the trees. The creature seemed to snicker at the raucous caused a family renowned for their calm demeanor over a somewhat bratty child, but Uchiha Itachi paid it no more mind. It was just how those mischievous animals were….

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

Sasuke awoke, a sharp pain in his brain and anger in his eyes. What was this pain in his back? He tried not to compare himself to "The _Princess_ and the Pea." As he attempted to stretch out the kinks in his spine, he noticed blue eyes staring intensely at him. Sasuke jumped back in surprise and Naruto grinned. He almost teased the kid for looking so much like an aggressive cat—at least, until the spoiled brat opened his mouth and spoke to him for the first time.

"Who the hell are _you_?" Sasuke asked. The question was drenched in every milliliter of the Uchiha pride and disdain that he had inherited.

Naruto's eyes immediately took on the same guarded anger that Sasuke's had. "Excuse me, little boy?" Sasuke bristled, but his acidic response was left forgotten as he finally took in his surroundings. He was _outside_. Most likely he was off the castle grounds but more importantly, he had been _sleeping in the dirt._ He looked at Naruto again and if his gaze had been pissed before, now it was absolutely murderous.

"Just who in the hell do you think you are? What are you trying to get at, kidnapping a royal prince?"

Naruto found this child annoying and his language skills limited and repetitive. "You know kid, you really shouldn't talk to a demon that way."

"_Kid_? I will have you know, I'm an adult!" He was not really, not yet, but Sasuke did not want to appear young to this bastard—not when those blue eyes screamed over all the things they had seen throughout the years. "Besides, you do not look any older than I am."

Naruto looked skeptical. "You're ten, right?" Sasuke sucked in his (overly plump) lower lip and bit it sharply, but was once again distracted from his response by a statement Nartuo had made earlier.

"Wait—a _demon_?"

Naruto sat up straighter, puffing out his chest. "The one and only infamous fox demon of Oto in the flesh." His grin returned and Sasuke could have sworn the blond's teeth sparkled. "Uzumaki Naruto's the name. I cause men's spines to shiver in fright, women's hearts to break in my honor, and I steal children's souls in the night." His smile became more of a predatory smirk, regardless of what age he thought Sasuke truly was, as he looked over the raven's body. "I might have to do all three in your case."

It was Sasuke's turn to be unimpressed. "I don't believe in vampyres." He sniffed and looked away in haughty anger as Naruto's chest deflated in hurt offense. _Vampyre_? He had never been so insulted! And to think the stabbing barb had come from a small and feminine-looking kitten…. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the aura of gloom that permeated the air surrounding this "Naruto" guy. He was not sure if this (young?) man intented to cause harm or disrepute to the Uchiha name, but if his personality was anything to go by, Sasuke was not worried. Naruto was no threat to him at all.

He had no idea of the eyes watching him at that very moment….

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

Kyuubi watched the pair from a nearby tree, laughing silently to himself. Naruto certainly had his hands full with this new kit. If this was how he was planning to get the money to pay the Akatsuki back….

The fox-like man snickered to himself. Yes, this definitely was going to be interesting to watch. He was just waiting for the moment when the blond kit would become _attached_ to the raven kit like he eventually did with all his new toys. Another laugh bubbled up Kyuubi's throat.

Naruto would really have to—

Kyuubi immediately sobered and if anyone had been watching at him at that moment, they would have sworn they saw his ears (impossibly) perk up and twitch like a fox's. What was this? He suddenly felt a new presence in the woods and it was definitely human, definitely sinister, and definitely watching the pair of bickerers as well. In fact, if Kyuubi did not know any better, he would say the person definitely wanted both of them dead. He shivered as the presence's potentially fatal power seeped into his spine.

What had Naruto really gotten himself into?

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

Sasuke struggled to keep up with Naruto's longer strides, and found himself becoming angrier and angrier. He did not ask to be kidnapped, he did not ask to be stuck with this dobe, and he certainly did not ask to _walk_ everywhere at all hours of the day.

"Can we stop now? My feet hurt." Sasuke huffed, stopping short without really getting a confirmation to do so.

Naruto glanced back and kept moving. "I wouldn't stop here if I were you." Sasuke glanced around nervously and decided to keep going. Though, it was not long before his complaints started up again.

"Is this really your idea of how to treat a royal prince?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. If he had known from the beginning how annoying this kid was going to be, he would have left the little brat at the Uchiha castle and taken the mother or the brother or _anyone_ else instead. Perhaps it was not too late for a switch…no. No, he had better not risk it. He whirled around to face Sasuke. "No, but it is how I treat royal pains in the ass. Now quiet down and keep walking. We're close to our destination." Naruto kept walking.

Sasuke huffed but did as he was told, having no good retorts and no idea of how to get back home. Suddenly his breath hitched and he looked closer at the thickening trees around them. He could have sworn he saw movement, as if something (or someone) were watching them…. He unconsciously moved closer to Naruto, who was going on about something stupid.

"You are going to call me Naruto-sama as long as you are with me. You will _not_ call me Naruto-chan, Naruto-kun, or any other 'cutesy' name. Understand?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. "I will try to refrain, _Naru_-_kun_."

"And another thing—do _not_ have that tone of voice when you address me. Maybe a nice and soft submissive quality would be nice to add," he turned around once again and eyed Sasuke's figure lustfully, "and perhaps a breathy air as well…." He chuckled and faced front again when Sasuke glared at him. Suddenly they burst through the foliage and entered a clearing with majestic cliffs; a crystal-blue waterfall cascading from their peaks, and vivid greenery all around. Sasuke gasped and a slow grin subconsciously graced his features. He had never seen anything like it. Naruto glanced at him and chuckled at his reaction.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"This is where you _live_?"

Naruto smirked. "Yes. I know you must be drowning in jealously right now, but I can assure you that—"

A malicious light shone bright in Sasuke's eyes. "Oh, that was not a compliment." Naruto sputtered quite uncharacteristically. "B-but your face just now—"

"It is a beautiful place, do not get me wrong." Sasuke admitted. He grimaced as if his next statement caused him physical pain to even consider. "But it is hardly fit to be a _home_ for an actual person..." He was surprised when Naruto chortled. It was a small chuckle at first, but soon grew into a genuine roar of laughter. As he wiped the tears from his eyes, he told the kidnapped boy, "You're such a spoiled brat." Sasuke was again shocked at the near-affectionate tone, but he quickly squashed the feelings.

"I am a spoiled brat just because I prefer sleeping in a real bed? I beg to differ." Naruto was not affected by Sasuke's impolite words or tone and that made the younger male turn away in irritation.

"This area has everything a person needs to survive and call a place home: meat, edible vegetation, water, secure shelter, warm and soft places to sleep, and plenty of room for a child to run around in. It's the perfect place to hide an abducted prince."

Sasuke remained turned away, flushing slightly in anger. "I am _not_ a child, and I refuse to live here." Naruto's eyes seemed to bleed red but he blinked the anger away before swiveling the raven back around to face him.

"Look, you don't have to go with me. You can stay here. However, be prepared to be kidnapped by other criminals with…_less_ than honourable intentions." He placed a surprisingly gentle hand to Sasuke's cheek. "You are quite beautiful." If the raven was not quite so angry, he might have picked up the slight oddity in how proper Naruto's speech seemed to be. As it was, Sasuke was only focused on the words said, not how they were said.

Sasuke smacked away the unwanted hand. "There is not any other person crazy enough to trek through these thick forests, let alone live in them. And even if there were, there cannot be a worse person out there than you. How can I be sure you do not have 'less than honourable' intentions yourself? Just this morning you said that you wanted to make me tremble, break my heart, and steal my soul."

It took all Naruto had to neither smirk nor strangle the child before him when presented with the kid's admittedly good memory. Instead, he shrugged casually. "It's your choice to make and it's your chance to take." He smiled easily and began to make his way down one of these less steep cliffs and into his claimed clearing. Sasuke watched closely, but the blond showed no signs of coming back for him even giving him a backward glance. He gathered all the pride he could muster from his noble lineage and followed Naruto further away from his castle.

Naruto, as if sensing Sasuke behind him, let his laughter ring throughout the clearing, much to the younger's chagrin. The raven tripped over an unseen root and tumbled down past Naruto, stopping only when a tree extended its grace and stood in his path. The laugh grew louder. "Oh yeah, watch your step out here."

Sasuke could have killed the insufferable baka.

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

Sasuke twisted over once again and Naruto wondered if the kid's sleep was plagued by his current, "unpleasant" bed inside the cave they were resting in, or unpleasant memories of his distraught family. Whichever situation, Naruto did not let it cloud how bratty this restless child acted throughout the day after arriving at Naruto's clearing….

***FLASHBACK***

_Sasuke immediately made his way toward the (fortunately clean) pool created by Naruto's backyard waterfall. It took him a few moments to figure out how, but eventually he discarded his clothes—after making sure the blond was no longer looking at him—and waded into the refreshing water. He began to vigorously scrub himself clean, even if he was not truly dirty in the first place. Soon, this was not enough for Sasuke and he muttered phrases like "…dumb blonds leading me everywhere they possibly can…" or "…making me sleep outside, _in the dirt_…." By now, Naruto was watching the tiny kitten with amusement._

_When he reached the other boy, Sasuke growled at him. "It is impolite to smirk at a royal prince. And stop staring at me as I bathe…. Do not laugh at me!" Despite what Sasuke said, Naruto could not wipe the smirk from his face. This babe might growl and hiss at him all he wanted, but that did not mean the older male was going to give him up. In fact, it made him more determined to stick with his decision to prove that he could handle it…._

_Later on, Sasuke placed one of the cloaks he found in Naruto's things on a rock's surface to save himself the trouble of getting his clothes dirty. Naruto sat a way off from where Sasuke perched, polishing what looked like a gold bracelet—Where did he get that?—with a filthy rag. After an indefinite amount of time, the working man decided they been silent long enough. He looked up at his "charge."_

"_Do you know what I like the most about having you with me compared to your brother, Sasuke-_dono_." Sasuke responded with a look that said, 'Not particularly,' but Naruto continued. "You're so small and feminine-looking." He could tell he struck a tender nerve when Sasuke tensed, but this still did not cease his words. "You're very pleasing to look at—like a little wife…. But shouldn't you be going through puberty right now?"_

"_You are so insufferable, do you know that? Since you think you have so many years on me, what is your age?" The young man smirked. "That, Sasuke dearest, is none of your business." Sasuke made a strangled noise somewhere in his throat and stood, not answering Naruto's queries as to where he was going. As he left, Naruto decided the boy was only sulking and let the kitten spit and leave as he wished. He could not help laughing at the Uchiha child's antics. The kid was certainly able to entertain Naruto in his own annoying, "royal prince this, royal prince that" way…._

_When the sky began to darken, Sasuke eventually came back to the "sitting area," only to find his captor gone and nowhere in sight. The anger that had been extinguished earlier returned with a brighter flame. However, even blinded by his rage, the raven kitten managed to find Naruto in the mouth of a cave hidden in the cliff face behind the waterfall across the clearing…._

***END FLASHBACK***

Sasuke rolled over yet again in his sleep and faced Naruto. The older teen had since moved to the raven's side and so was able to see the slightly more peaceful expression up close. Unconsciously, Sasuke's small pale hand lightly placed itself on top of Naruto's much broader, tanned one and the fingers curled over the blond's. _'Cute,'_ the seventeen-year-old thought, looking down at the younger boy affectionately. _'In fact, he—'_

Abruptly, Naruto shook his head firmly. It was not a good idea to start thinking about Sasuke that way. He did not want this to become a repeat of his past kidnappings. Glancing down at the two hands again, Naruto could not quell the small feeling of protectiveness that fluttered in his stomach.

No, he would not let anything happen this time.


End file.
